Two-out RBI single in the eighth lifts Ducks over Bees
(Central Islip, N.Y., June 14, 2016) – The Long Island Ducks defeated the New Britain Bees 5-4 on Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game series at Bethpage Ballpark.
GAME AUDIO: Highlights from the comeback victory
POSTGAME VIDEO: Kevin Baez, Mike Dowd and Dan Johnson talk about the win
New Britain opened up the scoring with two unearned runs in the first inning against Ducks starter Bruce Kern. A fielding error that scored Greg Golson and an RBI single by Michael Crouse did the damage. Long Island responded in the bottom of the frame with a solo home run to right by Ruben Gotay off Bees starter Brian Dupra, closing the gap to 2-1.
The Ducks took a 3-2 lead in the fourth on a two-out, two-run single by Anthony Vega. A leadoff solo homer to left-center by Golson in the fifth tied the ballgame back up at three. Long Island returned the favor though in the bottom of the fifth on a two-out solo home run to right-center by Dan Johnson.
The Bees came back to tie the game again on a run-scoring groundout from Jovan Rosa in the seventh. However, Mike Dowd put the Ducks back in front for good in the bottom of the eighth with a two-out RBI single up the middle.
Neither starter factored into the decision. Kern pitched five innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on seven hits while striking out four. Dupra tossed seven innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and three walks with two strikeouts. Amalio Diaz (4-1) earned the win after pitching a scoreless eighth inning, striking out the side. Eric Fornataro (1-2) suffered the loss, yielding a run on one hit and one walk in two-thirds of an inning. Todd Coffey collected his eighth save of the season with a scoreless ninth.
The Ducks and Bees continue their three-game set on Wednesday night. Game time is slated for 6:35 p.m., with the Bethpage Ballpark gates opening at 5:35 (5:20 for full season ticket holders). It’s “Don’t Zone Out” Night at the ballpark, and the first 2,500 fans in attendance will receive Ducks Static Cling Decals, courtesy of CSEA. It’s also a Winning Inning Wednesday, and during the game the Ducks will designate a specific occurrence in each inning. If the event takes place, one lucky fan will win $10,000! Simply sign up at the Ducks Ticket Kiosk prior to first pitch to be eligible to win.
Tickets to the game, and all Ducks home games, are available by visiting the Bethpage Ballpark box office, calling (631) 940-TIXX or CLICKING HERE. Those unable to make the game can follow all of the action live on the Ducks’ official YouTube channel. Streaming video and audio will be available online by CLICKING HERE.
The Long Island Ducks are members of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and play their home games at Bethpage Ballpark. For further information, call (631) 940-DUCK or visit www.liducks.com.
About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)
The Atlantic League has been a leader in professional baseball and a gateway to Major League Baseball since 1998. Over 34 million fans have attended Atlantic League games and more than 800 players and 50 managers and coaches have joined MLB organizations directly from the ALPB. The Atlantic League emphasizes winning baseball games, showcasing the talent of top-caliber players and offering affordable family entertainment to metropolitan markets serving nearly 15{f7b134541f126dcd33819b5eec9a91dff238b58155023223dba97c27371a7fb5} of the US population.
For more information, please visit www.atlanticleague.com.
###
Game Date: 06/14/2016 New Britain Bees 4 AT Long Island Ducks 5 YTD YTD N Britain AB R H BI AVG L Island AB R H BI AVG Skelton, J C 4 1 1 0 .258 Lentini, F RF 3 0 1 0 .336 Golson, G LF 5 2 4 1 .300 Cleary Jr., D CF 3 0 0 0 .278 Rosa, J 3B 5 0 0 1 .304 Gotay, R 2B 4 1 1 1 .309 Maddox, C DH 5 1 1 0 .297 Johnson, D 1B 2 2 1 1 .227 Roof, J 2B 4 0 0 0 .267 Puckett, C 3B 4 1 1 0 .297 Crouse, M RF 4 0 1 1 .295 Blanke, M C 4 1 1 0 .258 Jones, J CF 3 0 1 0 .279 Dowd, M DH 4 0 1 1 .292 Griffin, J 1B 4 0 1 0 .212 Vega, A LF 4 0 1 2 .286 Carrillo, S SS 4 0 1 0 .239 Wessinger, M SS 2 0 1 0 .193 38 4 10 3 30 5 8 5 N Britain 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 - 4 10 0 L Island 1 0 0 2 1 0 0 1 x - 5 8 2 2B--Jones, J CF (10), Blanke, M C (6). HR--Golson, G LF (1), Gotay, R 2B (3), Johnson, D 1B (6). RBI--Golson, G LF (12), Rosa, J 3B (27), Crouse, M RF (18), TOTALS 3 (0), Gotay, R 2B (14), Johnson, D 1B (28), Dowd, M DH (16), Vega, A LF 2 (22), TOTALS 5 (0). SH--Cleary Jr., D CF (0). SB--Golson, G LF (8), Jones, J CF (14), Vega, A LF 2 (8). E--Johnson, D 1B (1), Puckett, C 3B (7). LOB--N Britain 9, L Island 6. DP--J. Griffin(1B) - S. Carrillo(SS) - J. Skelton(C). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA N Britain Dupra, B 7.0 7 4 4 3 2 2 2.68 Fornataro, E (L,1-2) 0.2 1 1 1 1 0 0 7.72 Gilblair, S 0.1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.77 8 8 5 5 4 3 2 L Island Kern, B 5.0 7 3 1 0 4 1 2.88 DeJiulio Jr., F 1.0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0.00 De La Rosa, E 1.0 1 1 1 1 1 0 2.79 Diaz, A (W,4-1) 1.0 1 0 0 0 3 0 2.79 Coffey, T (S,8) 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2.40 9 10 4 2 2 11 1 WP--De La Rosa, E (1), Diaz, A (1). PB--Blanke, M. SO--Skelton, J, Rosa, J, Maddox, C 2, Roof, J, Crouse, M 2, Griffin, J 2, Carrillo, S 2, Blanke, M, Vega, A, Wessinger, M. BB--Skelton, J, Jones, J, Lentini, F, Johnson, D 2, Wessinger, M. BF--Dupra, B 30 (208), Fornataro, E 4 (12), Gilblair, S (47), Kern, B 23 (111), DeJiulio Jr., F 4 (43), De La Rosa, E 5 (84), Diaz, A 4 (74), Coffey, T 4 (59). P-S--Dupra, B 95-64, Fornataro, E 13-6, Gilblair, S 4-3, Kern, B 96-68, DeJiulio Jr., F 21-11, De La Rosa, E 27-15, Diaz, A 18-14, Coffey, T 8-7. T--2:48. A--4517 Plate Umpire - Fred DeJesus, Field Umpire #1 - John Libone, Field Umpire #2 - Tom Gandolfo Jr.